Pirates Bullpen Implodes Against Astros

For seven innings, everything had gone right for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The offense was explosive. The starting pitching was decent. And when Nick Gonzales launched a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to make it 7-3, the visiting dugout at Minute Maid Park had the loose, carefree energy of a team already planning its post-game meal.

When the Pirates tacked on another run go up 8-3, their win probability sat at a comfy 97.1%. The Astros’ crowd was restless. The game felt over.

But baseball can have a cruel sense of humor. And the Pirates’ bullpen was about to become its punchline.

Seventh Not-So-Heaven

The trouble started quietly in the bottom of the seventh. Reliever Yohan Ramirez got the first out. Then Yordan Alvarez—inevitable as always—got on base with a single. No harm yet. Astros first baseman Christian Walker was the second out, and it looked like Ramirez could escape unscathed. But Isaac Paredes had other ideas. On a 2-2 pitch, he turned on a fastball and sent it 363 feet into the left-field seats. Just like that, a 8-3 lead was now 8-5. The buzz returned to Houston’s dugout.

Still, Pittsburgh led by three. Surely, they’d hold.

The top of the eighth brought a brief reprieve. A Nick Gonzales double plated another run. 9-5. The Pirates’ win probability spiked again. Manager Don Kelly felt confident enough to turn to Mason Montgomery for the bottom half, hoping the hard-throwing lefty could seal the eighth.

Montgomery's outing began with a strikeout. One down. Then another strikeout. Two outs. The Pirates were one out away from taking a four-run lead into the ninth. The bullpen door remained shut. The panic was nowhere to be found.

Then the nightmare began.

A Six-Run Eighth

With two outs and the bases empty, Montgomery lost the zone. A double. Another double. A walk. Suddenly it was 9-6.

Gregory Soto replaced Montgomery at this point. Alvarez stepped up again and slapped a liner into center. 9-7. The Astros’ win probability, which had been below 10% minutes ago, flickered to 17%.

Soto looked rattled. His mechanics shortened. His fastball flattened.

Christian Walker singled to score another run, and runners advanced further on a Brandon Lowe throwing error. 9-8. Still two outs.

Soto then uncorked a wild pitch to Isaac Paredes. Zach Cole trotted home. 9-9. The Pirates had officially blown the lead.

The tying run was in. The go-ahead run, Walker, was on second base. The stadium was deafening.

Kelly left Soto in to face Paredes, who worked a full-count walk. Still two outs. Two runners on base.

Then came Cam Smith to the plate. On a 1-2 pitch from Soto, he chopped a ground ball down the right-field line. Jake Mangum charged, but the ball skipped past him into the corner. By the time it was retrieved, two runs had scored. 9-11, Astros lead.

CAMERON VAUGHN SMITH!!!!!#VoteCam ⭐️ https://t.co/W06pfHQMR1 pic.twitter.com/VFj2aaT5LB
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 4, 2026

The Astros had scored six runs with two outs in the eighth inning.

A Disheartening Loss

Houston’s win probability, which had been as low as 5.5% after Paredes’ homer in the seventh, now sat at 93.6%. The Pirates’ clubhouse was silent. Soto, usually reliable this season, had been charged with the blown save despite not recording an out in the eighth.

The final score held at 11-9. The Pirates had scored nine runs on the road against a good Astros team—and lost.

Outside, the Houston skyline glittered. Inside, the Pirates were left to wonder how an 8-3 lead in the seventh inning could ever turn into a 9-11 loss.

But in Pittsburgh, they already knew the answer: the bullpen.

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